


reasons to believe

by allthefadinglights



Category: Formula 1 RPF, Formula 2 RPF, Motorsport RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe, Callum is hopelessly clueless, Falling In Love, M/M, Mick works at the animal shelter
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-28
Updated: 2021-01-28
Packaged: 2021-03-14 15:06:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,123
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29048124
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/allthefadinglights/pseuds/allthefadinglights
Summary: Callum is looking to adopt a cat. Mick helps him make a decision.
Relationships: Callum Ilott/Mick Schumacher
Comments: 6
Kudos: 83





	reasons to believe

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I will not pay for your dentist bill after reading this tooth rotting fluff. You have been warned.
> 
> (Seriously, it's Mick, Callum, and kittens)
> 
> Thank you guys so much for being so lovely on my fics! I really enjoy writing them but it makes it so much better seeing people reading, leaving kudos and commenting!

It had taken Callum a while to get to this point in his life, but he was quite proud to have finally reached it. Fine, maybe his job as a programmer wasn’t that exciting and getting a small two bedroom apartment wasn’t that big an achievement in life, but it’s really a step up for him, moving out from his parents’ place and into his own. It had been weird the first few nights to be alone in his apartment and every unfamiliar noise made him jump, but he’d gotten used to it. And he likes his job well enough, it’s challenging from time to time to solve problems but not so much it gives him a headache. All in all, he’s in a pretty good place right now.

Which is why Callum has picked this moment to adopt a pet. He’s allowed pets, he checked the lease, and some company will definitely do him good. He works from home most of the time anyway, so he’ll be around a lot. He hasn’t decided what kind of pet he wants, however, though he’s leaning towards a cat. He’d have to walk a dog multiple times a day, which in itself isn’t an issue but it would be when they return to office work. Cats are fine to be alone a bit longer, and he’d have time before then to get the cat used to being alone for longer periods of time, gradually. His mom helped him buy all the stuff he’d need and he was pretty sure this cat was going to be the most spoiled cat in existence with the amount of things his parents had sponsored. 

Standing in front of the pet shelter now, he looks at the front door like it’ll hop off the hinges and attack him any second. What if he’s not ready to get a pet? It’s a big responsibility and one you take on for the rest of your pet’s life. Oh, fuck it. Callum might not be an experienced cat owner but he’s excited to learn and he has a lot of love to go around so how bad can it be? Once he steps aside, he’s greeted by a cacophony of barking dogs and the occasional cat meow mixed in. It’s kind of an assault on his ears, but it quiets down after a bit, thankfully. 

“Hi, sorry about that!” someone behind Callum calls out. “They get excited about visitors, and I don’t blame them. How can I help you?” 

When Callum turns around, he gets a little starstruck. Occasionally in life, you meet those people that just have you go ‘wow’ at first sight, either because they’re really pretty or just their general vibe. The boy in front of him meets both those requirements. “Uh,” Callum says intelligently, forgetting how speech works and why he’s here. “Oh, right. I was wondering if there were any cats available for adoption?”

He gets a smile in return. “Of course! Are you looking for anything in particular, a kitten or maybe something specific personality wise?”

Callum hadn’t even thought about that, if he’s honest. “Not really? Was I supposed to have an idea beforehand?”

“No, that’s fine. Most people usually know what they’re looking for in a cat, but if you want, I can show you around the place so you can meet them all and see which one you fall in love with?” 

_Might fall in love with you_ , Callum thinks, but thankfully he doesn’t say it out loud. He nods. “That sounds good.” And, because his brain is absolutely useless, “I didn’t catch your name?”

The boy taps his name tag. Oh right. He should’ve seen that but he was too busy trying not to make a fool of himself. “It’s Mick,” he adds. Good call, because Callum might be a little incapable at reading at the moment. It’s embarrassing, really. He’s being every socially awkward programmer nerd stereotype right now, while he’s usually very social and great at making friends. 

“Callum,” he replies and, because he’s an idiot, he sticks out his hand like it’s a damn business meeting. Luckily, Mick takes it in stride and shakes his hand with a smile. 

“Follow me? I wanna show you our kittens first, they’re absolutely adorable and you might fall in love with them, but a kitten’s high maintenance if you’re a first time cat owner.”

“Yeah, I’ve never had a cat. My parents have a dog, though, Poppy. She’s a French bull terrier.” Callum isn’t sure why he’s saying this, surely Mick doesn’t really care about his dog. 

“Oh, I have a dog as well! Her name is Angie, she likes going on hikes with me.” It’s obvious Mick is crazy about his dog, and it makes Callum smile. He should’ve known - you wouldn’t work in an animal shelter if you had no affinity with animals. “My parents have more pets at home but I took Angie with me when I moved out. She was just a puppy then, so she got used to it quickly.” The last part seems hastily added on, as if to assure Callum it was absolutely fine to take Angie. 

“My sister would’ve killed me if I took Poppy,” Callum admits. “She’s crazy about that dog, so I’ll just have to go visit a lot if I wanna see her.” Mick chuckles and opens the door to a room that has a cute cat sticker on the door and a plaque that says ‘kittens’. 

“We’re here. We have three kittens at the moment, they’re all ready to be adopted and have gotten all their shots so they’re completely healthy. This is Yoda, Obi-Wan and Leia.” Callum grins at the names and Mick looks at him sheepishly, faint blush on his cheeks. “I like Star Wars and they’re just temporary names, they’re young enough to still change it if the new owner wants to.” 

“No, it’s cool, I like it,” Callum assures him before shifting his attention to the two rascals currently trying to climb up his legs. “So who’s who?” he asks, carefully taking a seat on the floor and wiggling his fingers at one of the kittens. 

“Those two currently trying to assault you are Leia and Yoda, Obi-Wan’s a bit more shy.” Mick picks up the third kitten and carries it with him towards Callum, sitting down next to him with Obi-Wan. “They’re all very different, despite being siblings. Leia’s the adventurous one, she’ll be right at the front if there’s something new to explore and she’s gotten very good at trying to sneak past us when we open the door. Yoda usually follows wherever Leia goes, he’s got a bit of an attitude sometimes, and Obi-Wan is just a little softie who loves cuddles.” Obi-Wan proves his point by crawling up Mick’s shirt to his neck before Mick plucks him off and puts him back on the ground. 

It’s obvious Mick loves these kittens a lot, and Callum doesn’t blame him. They’re adorable and - as Mick said - he’s definitely fallen in love with them. But he also promised himself (and his mom) to consider all his options and not just take the first adorable kitten who’s stolen his heart. They leave the kittens a while later after playing with them until they were completely worn out and going for a nap. Mick leads him around the place, explaining a bit about each cat Callum meets and giving him an insight into their personalities. They’re all very different and unique - even if they look similar sometimes - and it’s making Callum’s choice a lot harder. 

“So, you’ve met all of them now,” Mick says at the end of the tour. He must’ve spent an hour walking around with Callum, and Callum feels bad about it suddenly. “What do you think?”

“I’m a little overwhelmed,” Callum admits. “There’s so many personalities and things I should know.”

Mick smiles. “It’s okay if you can’t make a decision yet. We’re open six days a week, so you can stop by anytime and learn some more about them if you want.”

“Actually, yeah, that’d be great,” Callum says, a relieved undertone to his voice. “I don’t wanna make a rash decision because it’s a big commitment and I wanna make sure I adopt a cat whose personality goes with mine.” 

“You have no idea how many people do make the quick decision and then find out the cat really doesn’t fit in with them. It’s painful to see.” Mick gets a bit of a sad look on his face - it must be painful to see cats be returned because the owners made a wrong choice or didn’t want to commit after all. But then he brightens up again. “So I’m glad you’re taking the wise decision to come back another day to learn more. You’ll be a great cat owner, trust me.”

Callum’s not quite sure why that fills him with pride, but he’s still pleased when he finally steps out of the shelter, hands full of brochures with information and a warm feeling in his chest. Surely you can’t actually fall in love with a person this fast, but Callum definitely has a thing for Mick. He’s cute, he’s pretty, he loves animals a lot and he’s a Star Wars fan. Basically, he checks all of Callum’s imaginary boxes. Oh god, he’s so fucked.

* * *

Callum goes back to the shelter a week later, having read the brochures and spent time on the shelter’s website reading the little biographies for each cat. He’s hoping Mick will be there - but he might as well have a day off, or he’s on holiday. But when he steps into the shelter, he’s greeted by someone else. It’s a struggle to hide the disappointment he feels, but he’s also just here for the cats. Shelters aren’t for getting dates or falling in love - only when it’s falling in love with a pet you want to adopt. He spends some time with the cats he selected from the biographies and what Mick told him about them, tries to get to know them, but it’s quiet without Mick telling him funny anecdotes about every cat. He still doesn’t make a decision.

He returns again another week later, and it’s a little concerning how much it lifts his mood to see Mick greeting him. “Hello! Callum, right? You were looking for a cat?”

Callum really shouldn’t be this pleased Mick remembered his name, even though he must see lots of people every day. “Yes! I still haven’t made a decision, I was hoping you could tell me some more about Pumpkin and Athena?”

Mick nods and leads Callum to the cats once more. They chat on the way and Callum loves hearing Mick talk about the cats. They end up spending another hour with Pumpkin and Athena to play with them and talk some more. Callum carefully steers the conversation towards something more personal rather than cats, and Mick goes along with it happily, telling Callum about his older sister who’s into horse riding, and Callum tells him his little sister is into it as well. Talking to Mick is so easy, Callum feels all the nerves he had fall away. It’s like they’ve known each other for ages.

“So you’re a programmer?” Mick says, surprised, when Callum tells him what he does for a living. “Not gonna lie, I had a stereotype in mind for that but you’re not even close to it.”

“That’s a good thing, right?”

Mick laughs. “Definitely.” 

Callum ends up deciding to adopt Pumpkin, who’s a sweet ginger cat with a bit of an attitude when she doesn’t get her food on time - or so Mick has told him. Mick sorts out the paperwork and puts Pumpkin in a crate so it’s easier to transport her in Callum’s car. 

“Right,” Mick starts, looking at Callum and the crate in his arms. “I think that’s it. You’ll be a great cat owner, Pumpkin’s lucky to have found you.”

“Can I give you my number?” Callum blurts out, immediately regretting all his life choices the second the words leave his mouth. He’s just not really ready to stop seeing Mick. “Sorry, I’m-“

“That’d be great, actually,” Mick interrupts him with a smile. He hands his phone to Callum, who puts Pumpkin on the floor for a second while he enters his number into Mick’s contacts. “I’ll text you later?”

Callum leaves the shelter with a grin on his face and Pumpkin in his arms. Mick does text him, not even five minutes later. _Really enjoyed talking to you today. Can we do it again soon?_ He texts back a yes with a lot of exclamation marks.

**Author's Note:**

> Comments, as always, are very much appreciated (and I'll send a bonus virtual cookie) <3


End file.
